Jean-Pierre Melville: Le Samouraï (Take II)

Man, the Criterion Collection has got to be a fun place to work. What a job they do preserving films for posterity! I try to see as many Criterion DVDs as I can, while juggling a host of other things on the ceaseless agenda. Worth the effort every time. 

Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï (1967) sticks in mind for a number of reasons. It's cool as in cool jazz, hip as in hepcat, beautiful as in Paris, nifty-fifty as in Alain Delon working with Melville both in top form, and glidingly graceful as in zen. What's not to love, dreamers? I should point out that Delon's Costello character is not a superhero and is not imbued with magical powers. He's a bit more along the lines of the early Sean Connery Bond, not as unstoppable as a Sergio Leone-Clint Eastwood "Man With No Name" character. I find this interesting -- and a refreshing rejoinder to many of the more dingbatty action films of recent years.

Today's Rune: Fertility.